Page 217 of A Vow of Blood and Tears

Chapter 51

Cirri

He came to me silently, the only hint of his presence carried to me on the breeze in the trees, the faintest whiff of his smoky forest scent.

I remained on the rough stone I’d found, a perfect seat to look out over the pines of the Rift, the twilight mist obscuring the distant walls of the keep and creeping over the ground.

It had felt audacious, even wrong, to freely walk out of Ravenscry’s gate, leaving the walls behind me without a backwards glance. No one had stopped me; no one had warned me of wargs in the mist. I’d wandered around the keep, examining the walls from the outside for the first time, and climbed the stony hills without fear.

My eyes ached from the endless poring over pages and scrolls of faded vellum, the ink so old it was no more than a whisper; the ghosts of words past. Those ghosts had spoken unclearly, but with patience and determination, I’d teased out meanings, held disparate pieces together and found the matching edges.

I no longer felt guilt over taking a break to walk the mountainous hills of the Rift. I had all the time in the world to chase the ghosts of the past.

Nobody would be pleased with what I’d found, but it was the truth, and it held answers for our future. The charm meant to bind Wargyr must never be lost again. If the people of Veladar wished to survive and remain ourselves, we could never allow the wolves to return.

Nor could we afford another slow slide into the next Red Epoch. The vampires would be upset over the truth of their creation, but there needed to be balance. If that meant anger over the knowledge, so be it—the fiends would understand and hold the truth of what they were, that they were only a step removed from their loathed cousins, and only by clinging to what remained of their humanity would they remain in power.

If they ever went too far, if they chose to break the Accords and push human involvement from their tables, we had the means to fight back, the binding charm hidden in several pairs of trusted hands.

All would be in balance, so long as we remembered that. Too much had been lost to forgetfulness already.

I pushed those thoughts aside as I climbed further, and finally came to a hollow in the hill, where a rough, rounded stone protruded from the earth. That was where I chose to sit and wait for him.

Of course he didn’t disappoint me. He never could.

He came from the west, circling me, and only moments after I smelled him, a warm hand descended on my shoulder. He cupped my face, fingers curling under my chin. I leaned into his warmth, pulling my cloak tighter around me.

“The last time we spoke of walking the Rift… to be honest, I never thought it would happen.” His other hand came down, splaying over my chest as he held me to him. My heart racedunder the heat of his palm. “I believed I would have to keep you locked inside forever, and give nothing but small tidbits of freedom. I feared that over time, it would give way to resentment.”

I slid my bare arms through the slits in my cloak, a small shiver running down my spine as the cool air touched my skin.I never would’ve blamed you.

“Maybe not, but resentment doesn’t need a reason. It just grows over time, little by little, until it's burrowed so deep you can never rip it out by the root.” Bane’s thumb stroked my collar bone, tracing the ridge. “I believe that’s one of the reasons I love you. Your practicality, your understanding. I’ve never worried that you would try to leave the keep in a fit of pique, or ignore the dangers to pursue your own whims. My only worry was that this life would stifle you, and one day extinguish that inner fire.”

No, I signed.Not so long as you’re with me. But to walk outside now… it feels almost forbidden.

“But does that not give support to my fears?” he asked quietly. “Imagine several more years locked inside those walls… it would have grown into your mind that the outsideisforbidden. It would have destroyed you in time.”

And I can destroy your fears with three words: that didn’t happen. I stood up, brushing my cloak straight, and turned to face him.Let go of those worries. You gave me the High Tongue relics, and now we never need to worry about it again.

Bane smiled slightly. “If you had been anyone else…”

But I’m not, I said as I stepped closer.I’m me, your amazing and rather delicious Scrollkeeper. I don’t know how many turns fate had to take to bring me here, but I do know that I will never, ever be ungrateful for it. It was only with the two of us that we could accomplish this. And now you can rest easy and fearless. We’ve done what was thought to be impossible andbound the wargs, and there will never be a resentment in me for more freedom. I’m exactly where I want to be.

“You did it,” he said, closing the gap between us. His arms were warm around me, and he kissed the top of my head. “Youbound the wargs.”

Yougave me the books, I retorted.Don’t try to make this into a contest. You’ll lose.

He gave a mock-sigh of consternation. “Very well, love, we did this.”

I knew you’d see reason.

I smiled up at him, and Bane touched my cheek. “I didn’t actually come to argue, my lady. I came to see where you’d go with your newfound liberty.” He glanced sideways, shoulders rippling with embarrassment. “Unless you came to be alone.”

I shook my head, plucking at my heavy cloak again. I was about to be very, very cold for a brief time, but I trusted Bane to keep me warm.

I hoped you would follow.There’s something we must do, and… I feel I need to be careful within the keep, for now. I have my own worries. If a single drop of my blood spills in the wrong place, or if I were to cry… you’d be driven out of your home.

Bane’s lips twitched, and flattened, the smile falling away. “I’ve considered that. Although, if I’m doing my job properly, you shouldn’t cry at all.”

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